Braves Offseason Shortstop Acquisition Trending Upward Early in Spring

The Atlanta Braves trade to acquire him over the offseason is looking good so far early on in Spring Training

Nick Allen is looking solid to start Spring Training | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Offseason shortstop acquisition Nick Allen continues to trend upward at the plate. In the Atlanta Braves matchup with the Miami Marlins, he went 2-for-3 with an RBI and a walk and scored twice. 

In nine at-bats so far in Spring Training, he has slashed .444/.500/ .556 with a couple RBIs and one extra-base hit. 

The Braves acquired him this offseason via a trade with the Oakland Athletics.

Allen was once a top prospect for the Athletics. Back in 2022, he was the A’s No. 5 prospect. The year before, he was their No. 3 prospect. 

He played in 41 games with the then-Oakland Athletics. He slashed .175/.216/.247 with a home run and four RBIs. It’s not exactly the production you’re looking but his Triple-A number shows there’s potentially more to him. 

 In 81 games with Triple-A Las Vegas, Allen slashed .345/.431/.497 with seven home runs, 34 total extra-base hits and 51 RBIs.

Along with the potential bat, he comes with quality. He certainly provides depth defensively. In his prospect report, he was considered a guy capable of winning multiple Gold Glove Awards. 

It’s early in the Spring Training schedule, but he is trending in the right direction early on. At the least, he’ll earn himself a platoon spot on the team. That’s the more likely scenario for at least out of Spring Training. 

But unless Orlando Arcia is able to look closer to his All-Star form, Allen has a wide-open opportunity to take away playing time if this early success at the plate translates to a step forward in his regular-season performance. 

So far, Arcia is hitless in four at-bats while reaching base twice on a walk. It’s not an auspicious start. He has time to get back on track, but the pressure could on early.